2. Deus ex machina

Meaning:The theatrical device of abruptly introducing a person, object or event to resolve a seemingly unsolvable problem. The use of a deus ex machina is generally frowned upon – it is like the playwright copping out of giving the audience a logical plot.

Origin: The Latin phrase deus ex machina originates from the Greek ‘theos ek mēkhanēs‘, which literally means ‘god out of the machine’. In ancient Greek and Roman theatre, a ‘god’ character would be lowered onto the stage from a suspended crane to sort out complications in the play and bring it to a tidy conclusion. Implausible endings would be accepted since ‘god’ was involved.

The phrase found its way into English from Horace’s Ars Poetica. Horace discouraged the use of deus ex machina [189-201] with words to this effect:

Nor should any god intervene unless a knot show up that is worthy of such a liberator; nor should a fourth actor strive to speak.

Stage adaptations of Chetan Bhagat’s novels require nothing more from the female lead than playing the ingénue.

5. Mise-en-scène

Meaning:The design aspects of a theatrical production including stage arrangement, lighting, positioning of actors, etc. Sometimes used in a broader sense to cover all elements of style and storytelling.

Origin: From French, translating to ‘putting on the stage’.

Usage:

The mise-en-scène in Just Theatre’s Hedda Gabler was not too audience-friendly in making the actors frequently face away from the viewers.

An elaborate mise-en-scène does not make up for a weak script.

6. Ouvre

Meaning:A work of art, or the works of an artist (e.g. playwright) regarded collectively.

The proscenium arch in this playhouse is so majestic, it is hard take your eyes off it to watch the performance.

8. Soliloquy

Speech by a character talking to himself/herself, as if there is no one hearing. A soliloquy reveals the character’s inner thoughts to the audience, like the thought bubble over a comic strip character or the voiceover when an evil bahu concocts her diabolical plans in a TV soap.

Monologue and soliloquy often get used interchangeably but there is a difference between the two. A monologue may be spoken within the hearing of other characters in the play, a soliloquy is made when the character is alone.

Origin: From Latin sōliloquium, a combination of: sōli-,a combining form meaning ‘alone’ (also found in ‘solitude’) -loqu-, to speak (also found in ‘loquacious’) -ium, the Latin suffix for nouns derived from verbs (also found in ‘odium’)

Usage:

"To be, or not to be: that is the question" from Hamlet’ssoliloquy must be the most quoted line written by Shakespeare.

The play resorts to soliloquies for what should have been conveyed through the character’s expressions.

3 Comments to “8 Bombastic Words Every Theatre Lover Should Know”

1. Brishti

Love this, very useful:).Did you know that the term “deux ex machina” keeps cropping up in economics papers? Hadn’t known the exact meaning till now. Let’s discuss how to pronounce all these bombastic words next time we talk, so that I can casually drop them into conversations